2009 Camp Testimonials

“ Just wanted to thank you all for the opportunity this week and let you know how much of an enjoyment your camp is for all of us.  The hotel, food, and quality of staff are second-to-none. I will definitely be back next year.”

“I came away feeling as if I received real camp value.  From the hotel accommodations to the scheduling of games and top notch clinicians, I feel things were very well organized.  I would recommend this camp to anybody interested in trying to get into the Division I level of basketball officiating.”

"I had a great time and walked away a better official!" 

"As expected, it was a great camp staffed by "top-level" clinicians who are very insightful and take an honest and genuine approach to their evaluations.  Thanks again!”

"I go to one D-I camp a year and this is the best.  The primary reason I go is because, if you can work and if you can run, Sam and Rick will give you a fair shake.  They will make the effort to watch you – regardless of your size, experience or other supposed disadvantages relative to the rest of the officials – and I doubt that happens at many other camps.  Also, the chance to work five games in rapid succession with D-I guys on your crew is a great opportunity for a young official.  You can learn a lot from listening to feedback from observers, and the quality of the staff at this camp is unparalleled, but the ability to see up close how D-I guys communicate and manage the game is invaluable.”

"Thanks for a great camp last week in Cincinnati.  The camp participants, instructors, facilities, and overall event management were all really excellent, so the takeaways are many!”

“I enjoyed my camping experiences and my crew of officials as well.  The camp instructors were excellent.  This is my second camping experience in your system, and so I feel that the second time around was much better for me as an official for a couple or reasons.  My first permitted me exposure not only to you in-person on the floor and off, but also to your staff of instructors.  Secondly, my goal prior to camp was to leave it all on the floor!  I did that.”

“Thanks again for a great camp. The clinicians, food and lodging were all excellent.”

“Of the clinicians who saw me work I feel that all were very professional.  I do want to give quick credit though to three guys who seemed to go a little extra:  Mike Eades, Terry Wymer and Jim Ferrari.  Kelly Self, although never working directly on my court, also provided some good feedback.  All of these guys gave great information while never once giving the perception that there were any better than me or anybody on my crew.  I felt very much like I was a peer with these guys and that they were sincerely interested in helping me become a better official.”

“I would like to commend you on a very good instructional camp this past July 5-8 @ UCincinnati!  I got an opportunity to work some top notch AAU basketball games, and work on both my mechanic's and concentration.  I must admit I am a little sore from all the running, but I needed that level of basketball to work.  I don't get an opportunity to work "top-notch" boys basketball in my area, and I must travel to get that level of competition in.  Again, thanks for assembling one of the "Best" instructional teams to be our camp clinicians!”

“I would like to thank you both for an excellent camp!  I had good feedback from all my clinicians and I had some real good games to officiate. I hope I made an impression and am looking forward to next year’s camp.”

“The camp was first-class and the level of competition met my expectations.”

“Thank you for organizing another excellent camp.  The clinicians did a great job of teaching both from a mechanical and philosophical stand point. “

“The staff of clinicians that were at the camp couldn’t have been any better.”

“Wanted to drop a note of thanks for the experience I had a camp.  I learned some new things this year and am thankful.  The staff was great and the hotel was very nice. The level of play was outstanding!!  Thanks again."

“Thank for the opportunity to work your camp last weekend!  The observers were tremendous and provided some great feedback!  The camp was professionally run and I improved as an official!”

"Your camp was run in a first-class manner.  More importantly, I was able to learn a ton from you and your staff.  Again, thanks for everything."

“Thanks for having a great camp once again at Eastern Michigan.  I feel I received some good feedback from the wonderful staff you assembled."

“Thanks for another weekend of learning at your officials camp in Michigan.  I can truly say that what I learned last year really helped over the past season and through this summer.  It is educational as well as fun to meet fellow officials.  Thanks again for a great camp.”

“Thank you for putting on a great camp.  I was very impressed with all your clinicians;  they were all very positive with great comments and tips to improve our officiating careers.  I can only imagine what a grueling long day it is for each of you, it is refreshing to be involved with officials that want to help others be the best they can be.”

"Thank you for the hard work the entire staff put in to the camp at Eastern Michigan.  Everything was first-class - from the hotel and meals to the instruction and feedback on the courts.”

"Thank you for organizing the Michigan Camp.  It was terrific.  It is the first camp I have been to and found the evaluations to be most helpful and ‘constructively critical’.  In other words there was no b.s. applied to make me feel better about my ability or lack thereof.”

“The clinicians were very good and detailed in their evaluations.  I understood the points brought up regardless if they were specific to me or another official.  I went back to my room and wrote each of the points down – all were relevant and meaningful.  I know I will be a better official because of the camp you put together and the terrific staff.”

2008 Camp Testimonials

“Thanks again for taking the time to put together your camp and allowing me to attend. It was first class, as it was last year. I enjoyed it very much, felt like I learned a lot from it and a lot of things came together for me during the two days.The chance to work with two D-I guys on my crew (both years) has been particularly helpful for many reasons. I look forward to those kinds of opportunities in the future. On another note, our whole crew was very appreciative you took the time to watch us for two full games.”

“I once again would like to thank you two gentlemen for the great camp you put on in Ypsilanti. I have been to many a camp, but yours is by far head and shoulders above the rest. I'm sure you are getting weary of hearing this. It was all around a great experience, from the staff to the accommodations.”

“I wanted to drop you a quick note complimenting you on the organization, professionalism, and quality of instruction provided at the camp this weekend. Congratulations on running a 1st class camp.  I appreciate the opportunity to be involved, thoroughly enjoyed the experience and became a better official as a result of the outstanding staff assembled.”

“Just wanted to say "Well done!" on the camp. I've been to many camps over my officiating career and the camp that you put together was well organized with top notch clinicians and great basketball! I appreciated the input that you gave on the court as well -- it's always interesting to hear things from a coach's point of view -- something that we aren't usually exposed to in an instructional environment.”

“Thank you for the opportunity to attend your camp. The environment was pleasantly refreshing and I enjoyed the different perspectives from each of the clinicians. You should be proud of the group you compiled for the camp. Everyone I interacted with was open to questions and frank in their responses. The input was more than welcome on my end.”

“Thank you for another great camp. As a camping veteran I can attest to yours being one of the best I have ever attended. Your staff is second to none as are your facilities and hospitality."

“Thank you for your camp this past weekend at Eastern Michigan.  You had a great group of clinicians that provided the necessary feedback for me to keep improving my game.”

“Thank you for the opportunity to learn and improve my abilities as an official.  I learned something from each clinician that I interacted with. The specific [and] detailed evaluations and individual one on one development time they took with me is much appreciated.  This was a great camp and I look forward to working with everyone in the future.”

"Once again, you guys put together a first class and professional camp that was absolutely a pleasure to attend. To assemble a staff of clinicians at one camp with the credentials as such is unbelievable.  Most impressive is how hard they work to share their knowledge.  Every other part of the camp such as, lodging, food, and organization was also great.”

"Thanks again for the great camp.  The staff was very professional and provided some great tips and advice which well help to become a better official. It was great learning from some of the best in the business. The organization and accommodations were first class; by far the best camp I have attended!”

“Nice job with the camp this past weekend, it was very well run and organized.  Also, the clinicians that we had on the courts did a great job of staying involved and providing some good feedback.”

2007 Camp Testimonials

"I have attended over 50 Division I camps over the past 15 years and I can tell you that it was one of the best I have ever attended.  It was first class from the very second I arrived at the hotel."

"I really enjoyed the camp atmosphere, very professional without feeling like it was just a camp to make money.  The staff was second to none and was a pleasure to work with.  I gained a wealth of knowledge and will apply it in my future endeavors.  I would recommend it to anyone."

"Thank you for an excellent MAC Officials Basketball Camp.  I truly enjoyed the time spent with you and your staff, as people, not just referees.  The extra knowledge that I gained from your very professional clinicians was just another bonus.  Before attending your camp, I felt as though I worked for some outstanding conferences, but after this past weekend, I now have a new outlook on what top notch means.  Now it is very clear to me why officials want to be associated with the MAC.  It is a first rate organization."

"As you stated in your meeting Friday night, one of your goals was to put together a first class camp.  I need to tell you it was accomplished and then some... it was a great job!  You are correct in saying there is no other camp in the country with a staff like yours.  The staff assembled was unbelieveable: a wealth of knowledge that was organized to cover every game, every court, every day.  Great guys, great information.  Once again, great job.  I totally enjoyed attending."

"Please accept my thanks for the opportunity to work the MAC Officiating Camp at Eastern Michigan.  I enjoyed the experience, and regardless of the outcome, came away feeling I was given an honest look by the MAC which means a lot these days.  Again, thanks for the opportunity."

"I want to thank both of you for running a great camp.  The clinicians, facilities, lodging, etc. were all first class.  I learned a lot and it was a great camp opportunity."

"Thank you for a great camp.  The staff was excellent with their critique and provided a ton of valuable information."

"Thank you for running a 1st class camp.  I really appreciate your effort to make us better officials.  You have a great plan for the MAC Conference."

"Kudos to you for an outstanding camp - Incredible teaching staff you assembled.  Wow.  I also want to commend you for the emphasis on value.  I think it was pretty obvious to most, given the accomodations and meals, that this was not a big money-maker for anyone; very refreshing and truly appreciated.  The golf/BBQ was a nice addition and gave us a chance to meet many of the clinicians and campers in a relaxed environment.  Overall, a first-class experience and ranks right up there with the best I've attended over my 10+ years of attending camps."

"Thanks for a great camp at Eastern Michigan University - the best camp I have been to.  I had a great time and learned some things in the process... what more could you ask for?"

"Honestly, it was the best camp I have ever attended.  The camp is run in a first-class manner from start to finish."